THE COLORED MAN IN GEORGIA

Convention at Macon— Report of Murders and 

Outrages, County By County

The colored men of Georgia held a Convention last week, in Macon, to consider the interests of their race in that State. Among the resolutions passed were the following:

Whereas, Having listened with horror to the harrowing details of the most unparalleled outrages perpetrated upon colored laboring men, consisting in fraud, violence and murder, committed under the most atrocious circumstances, and with the most hellish cold-bloodedness: therefore,

Resolved, That we publish these facts to mankind, and invoke the aid of all the liberty-loving people of the world, all the friends of law and order in our country, and do sincerely ask and demand the reorganization of our courts; and, until this can be effected, that the military exercise a vigilant care over the State.

Resolved, further, That we advise our people, to the extent of their power, to defend themselves against any and all of these outrages.

A Committee on Outrages was appointed, and from its report we gather the following facts showing the actual condition of the State, considered county by county. Out of forty-five counties, murders of colored men during the past year are reported in seventeen counties. These murders number twenty-nine actually reported, besides that in Tatnall County, concerning which, we are informed, "murders are very common." These twenty-nine murders have been divided among the different counties as follows--we append also the short descriptive comments which accompany the numbers given: Baldwin County, two murders; Butts County, three murders, no arrests; Bibb County, one murder--murderers sentenced to ten years, new trial granted, now pending; Burker County, one murder; Brooks County, one murder--no justice from county officers; Early County, one colored man shot with fifteen buck-shot, no arrests; Effingham County, three murders; Fulton County, two murders; Oglethorpe County, two murders, no arrests; Randolph County, four murders within three months--one woman found cut open with her child lying between her limbs; nobody brought to justice; Sutater County, three murders; Wilkinson County, two murders; Upson County, one murder, and some assaults with intent to kill; Quitman County, one murder. Of violent outrages, other than murder, and general acts of oppression by the whites, we have the following array of evidence from different counties. We also append such other facts showing the condition of the country as the report embodies: In Baldwin County, aside from two murders, there have been no outrages, and there is no Ku-Klux organization "for the purpose of whipping men to make them work or to run them off after the crop is made;" in Butts County, Negroes are turned away after six months labor without pay, and cannot obtain legal justice; in Burke County, many colored laborers have not received one dollar since 1865; Clay County, average nominal wages seventy-five cents, and cannot get that after doing the work; in Cass County, handcuffing practiced by white employers, "same as in slavery," wages twenty-five cents for men, food and clothes for women; in Cobb County, if a colored man brought before the courts is a Democrat he is cleared, if a Radical he is found guilty; in Clark County, the Negroes generally get justice; in Dougherty County, one colored man was stripped and chained— has not been seen since; many colored orphans in the county who are generally bound out to very bad men; many assaults on colored women; no justice in the civil courts; Early County, Negroes whipped same as in the days of slavery; no protection under the law; women whipped outrageously; in Jones County good feelings exist between landowners and labourers; no outrages except refusal of civil courts to do justice in civil cases; Houston County, same report; Liberty County, same; in Marion County, the coloured people are not doing as well as they did during slavery--swindled
414 STATE CONVENTIONS, 1869

out of their shares in the crop; whites are "still whipping and slashing as usual;" Mitchell County, whipping prevails to some extent; Newtown County, Negroes afraid to live at home— Ku-Klux outrages frequent; one girl was carried off, beaten and not heard of since. Justices of the Peace refuse to order arrests; no Ku-Klux in Putnam County; Schley County, one woman beaten while defending her child; a lawyer said that it was necessary to beat Negroes once in awhile to make them know their places; schoolhouse burned because a political meeting was held in it; several men in jail were promised their release if they would vote the Democratic ticket; in Tatnall County, the Negroes don't know that they are free— cannot hold meetings; Troupe County, all quiet, no outrages; in Wilkinson County, the whites generally pay fairly according to contract— no outrages; in Washington County, the colored people are getting along well, with good wages and no outrages; same in Webster County, except that it is difficult to obtain justice before the courts.— New York Tribune.

National Anti-Slavery Standard, November 13, 1869.